


when something’s broken, you fix it

by xshadesofpurple



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, because i loved that pic of dex in a backwards hat fixing the dryer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8328706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xshadesofpurple/pseuds/xshadesofpurple
Summary: “Stop staring at me Nurse,” Dex said a moment later, after he had placed his cap back on his head and returned to fiddling with something in the dryer. He hadn’t even turned his gaze in Nursey’s direction—focused on whatever it was he was trying to fix and chewing on his bottom lip in concentration.
Derek just laughed, “I’m not,” he insisted, green eyes not once faltering from where they were happily glued to Dex’s back.
---
Or: Nursey and Dex have a romantic evening with the dryer.





	

Derek smiled from where he was sitting on top of the washer, one knee pulled up to his chest with an arm resting across it, his chin settled on his elbow as he watched Dex crouched in front of the dryer.  
  
“What the _fuck_ ,” he heard Dex mumble under his breath, watching as he pulled up the red cap he had placed backwards on his head, just so that he could run his fingers frustratedly through his hair for what seemed like the millionth time.  
  
“Stop staring at me Nurse,” Dex said a moment later, after he had placed his cap back on his head and returned to fiddling with something in the dryer. He hadn’t even turned his gaze in Nursey’s direction—focused on whatever it was he was trying to fix and chewing on his bottom lip in concentration.  
  
Derek just laughed, “I’m _not_ ,” he insisted, green eyes not once faltering from where they were happily glued to Dex’s back.

“Liar,” Dex mumbled, but for once in his life leaving it at that, clearly too intent on fixing the dryer to keep the argument going—it was a rare moment.  
  
Derek could feel the smile softening on his face, completely content to keep sitting in silence and watching the way Dex’s flannel pulled against the muscles of his back every time he reached in to fix a cord or to pull out a piece of duct tape, giving it an incredulous look before dropping it onto the ground beside him.  
  
“Why are you down here anyway? Aren’t you bored?” Dex finally grumbled, breaking the silence between them.  
  
“Nah,” Derek answered, letting his leg swing off the washer as he moved his arms behind him so that he could lean back on them, giving himself a better view of the boy in front of him, “I like watching you work,” he smirked, voice going the slightest bit lower.  
  
Dex finally tore his gaze away from the inside of the dryer in order to give Nursey an exasperated look at that statement, amber eyes flaring with something Derek couldn’t always read.  
  
“It’s hot,” he decided to add, sending a wink in Dex’s direction. He could barely contain his laughter at the way Dex’s blush spread across his freckled cheeks, so he settled for biting back a smile instead. They had been together for months now and making Dex blush was still just as easy as it had been when they were freshman and Derek would shamelessly flirt with him, never knowing that something would ever come of it—and if Derek was being completely honest, it never got old to see how quickly that flush could migrate down Dex’s body.  
  
“Shut up,” Dex shot back, but it was a weak retort, and Derek could see the way his eyes softened and how he tried to hold back a smile of his own as he turned back to working on the dryer, that blush still creeping down his neck.  
  
After that, the silence stretched between them for a long time. It wasn’t awkward—they were way past that stage in their relationship—and besides, Derek was almost certain he could watch Dex work for hours on end. There was something about the way his forehead creased when he was focused—how he would let out frustrated puffs of breath and have a frown permanently glued onto his face the whole time he worked. Dex always looked incredibly pissed off whenever he was trying to fix something, but the loveliest thing about it was that was no one was ever asking him to do it—Dex just always offered.  
  
“Why do you fix stuff if you hate it so much?” Derek asked, voice much softer now, the teasing tone he had previously now entirely gone.

Dex shrugged, not looking back over at Nursey before responding, “Because when something’s broken, you fix it,” he said, almost nonchalantly, and after a moment of thought, he added, “Also? I don’t hate it.”

Derek felt a weird sensation in his chest at that, his heart fluttering up to his throat as he was overwhelmed by a feeling that was nothing short of complete affection. It was during times like this that Derek realized how bad he actually had it for the grumpy red-headed boy sitting in front of him. He was so used to the scowls, the chirps, the constant fight and fire that always seemed to prevail in whatever Dex was saying that sometimes Derek would forget the innocence and sincerity that was underneath it all—and every time he was reminded of that it was like he was falling in love with him all over again.  
  
“That was almost poetic Poindexter,” Derek finally said with a crooked smile and a tilt of his head, using his own chirp to balance out the amount of sappiness he was feeling at the moment, but it was a weak one—his voice still soft and full of affection.  
  
“Fuck _off_ Nursey,” Dex groaned, but there was no bite to it. He even managed to glance over and offer a soft smile in Nursey’s direction.

Derek just laughed, sliding from his seat on the washer to the ground next to where Dex was working, that goofy lovestruck smile still plastered onto his face.  
  
“What’re you doing?” Dex asked, his eyes now focused on Derek.  
  
“The opposite of what you told me to,” Derek smiled, placing a hand on Dex’s cheek and glancing down at his lips before locking eyes again, making sure it was okay to do this in the Haus, even if no one else was around. The way Dex let out a breath of air that was anything but frustrated and closed his eyes as he leaned into Derek’s touch was all the indication he needed before moving his lips to capture the ones in front of him. The kiss started out soft and slow, but it didn’t take long before he had Dex’s face in both of his hands and the other boy was practically climbing into his lap, lips parting enough so that their tongues could effortlessly slide together.

Derek could feel Dex’s arms move around his shoulders and he moved his own hands so that they could slide down the back he had previously been admiring. He felt all of the tension melt away from Dex’s body, any residual frustration from attempting to fix the dryer completely disappearing the second he felt Derek’s touch.

Derek loved that he had that effect on him—that he could ease whatever tension Dex had been feeling with just a simple touch. It was one of the reasons why half of their arguments lately usually devolved into a heated make out session or something more—and hey, Nursey wasn’t about to complain about that.  
  
Derek couldn’t tell you how long their kiss went on for—it felt like forever but it might have only been a minute or two. He lost all sense of time whenever he was this close to Dex. But the moment came to an abrupt halt when Bitty’s voice came calling down the basement stairs, “Thanks for tryin’ to fix the dryer Dex! When y’all are finished down there, come up and get some pie.”

Dex practically fell out of Nursey’s lap at the sound of Bitty’s voice. Dex knew that Bitty couldn’t see them, but the fear of being caught was enough to make him pull away from Derek as if he were on fire.

It was an impulse reaction and Derek didn’t blame him for it—this was all new for him—but he did appreciate the sheepish look Dex shot in his direction as he said, “Sorry,” before shouting back up to Bitty, “Thanks Bits! I think I’ve almost got it working.”

Derek just smiled, taking in Dex’s rumpled flannel and the way his hat was now lopsided on his head—probably from Derek attempting to run his fingers through his hair despite it being there.  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” Derek said as he stood up, “Finish fixing the dryer. I’m gonna go up and snag some of Bitty’s pie. We can finish _this_ —,” he said, using a finger to point between the two of them, “—later,” he grinned.  
  
And as he went to leave, Derek wasn’t able to resist the urge to take Dex’s hat off of his head as he walked past him, finally giving himself the chance to run his fingers through that red hair, pushing it up and off his forehead, before placing the cap on his own head with a satisfied smirk and heading up the stairs.  


**Author's Note:**

> one time i said i would write a nurseydex fic if someone sent me a prompt, and this is what i got.
> 
> hope you liked my first fic in this fandom. thanks to Ngozi for creating Check! Please and sending me spiraling down the rabbit hole of obsession. 
> 
> this whole thing was entirely inspired by [this post](http://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/post/151592548727). you can follow me on tumblr (hey-bitty.tumblr.com) if you want.
> 
> thanks for reading!! -- angela


End file.
